IN YOUR OPINION

Letters to the editor, March 23

Published: Saturday, March 23, 2013 at 6:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Friday, March 22, 2013 at 6:39 p.m.

An army of hunters

A blogger recently added up the deer license sales in just a handful of states. He arrived at a striking conclusion: there were more than 600,000 hunters this season in the state of Wisconsin. Allow me to restate that number — over the last several months, Wisconsin's hunters became the eighth largest army in the world!

They had more men under arms than in Iran. More than France and Germany combined. These men deployed to the woods of a single American state, Wisconsin, to hunt with firearms. No one was killed.

The number of Wisconsin hunters pales in comparison to the 750,000 who hunted in the woods of Pennsylvania, and Michigan's 700,000 hunters all of have now returned home safely.

Toss in a quarter million hunters in West Virginia and it literally establishes the fact that the hunters of those four states alone would comprise the largest army in the world. Add in the total number of hunters in the other 46 states, it's millions more.

The point, you ask? America will forever be safe from foreign invasion with that kind of homegrown firepower. Hunting is not just a way to fill up the freezer, it's truly a matter of national security. Therein lies the reason as to why all enemies, foreign and domestic, want to see us disarmed. Food for thought when next we consider gun control. Overall it's true, so if we disregard some assumptions that hunters don't possess the same skills as soldiers, the question would still remain, what army of 2 million would want to face 30 million, 40 million or even 50 million armed citizens?

Don't let the government take control of our arms.

Harold Rider

Ocala

Deluca's big heart

In reading some of the negative comments on Ocala.com about the generous gift Frank DeLuca made to the YMCA, I felt that I needed to respond.

Frank DeLuca is one of the most generous people in our community. He is a very successful businessman who has a huge heart for Ocala/Marion County. As the executive director of the Munroe Foundation, I can attest that Frank not only gives of his resources, he also gives of his time. He is an unselfish philanthropist who doesn't ask for anything in return.

In any capital campaign, large signature gifts warrant a naming opportunity. That gift opportunity is to honor those who give generously, but also to encourage others to give. What a wonderful place Marion County would be if all who have the resources would give from the heart like Frank DeLuca.

Thank you, Frank, for making a difference.

Beth McCall

Executive Director

Munroe Regional Medical Center Foundation

Ocala

Commission questions

Once again it was great to watch five Republicans in action Tuesday morning at the County Commission meeting.

This may be a very naive question, but if the Dunn contract is so very productive at winning dollars for local businesses, then why can't these same businesses, through their own organizations, pay for it? Wouldn't there be fewer county dollars and staff involved? Isn't that a proper goal for county government?

With regard to the county's concerns for public safety, how is it that a military special ops force can conduct operations in or over Marion County without any county authorities' awareness or permission? Safety?

It was nice to see the commission firmly in control of the 489 LLC contract. We noticed the developer's attorney used the word "probably" more than once in his views on the subject. Should the county enter in to such squishy, free-form contracts with so much taxpayer money at stake?

We would like to have asked these questions at the meeting, but maybe you can address them by email?

Bryan Demkowicz

Ocala

Saint or sinner?

As Floridians, we have witnessed Jennifer Carroll resign as lieutenant governor under a cloud of scandal and suspicion. Is she saint or sinner?

It has been reported that Allied Veterans, recognized by the IRS as a tax-exempt veterans' organization, and its related entities operated more than 40 Internet cafes in Florida. While holding itself as a charity aiding veterans, $290 million was collected over six years with only $6 million actually going to veterans groups. The bulk of the donations feathered the nests of the various owners.

Having conducted numerous investigations in more than 20-plus years in law enforcement and prosecuting and defending persons in more than 20-plus years as an attorney, please allow me to make an observation. While it is clear the owners who ran this so-called charitable enterprise were arrogant and greedy, members of the Legislature admit they should have checked and closed loopholes in what they believed was a charitable cause. It is not clear that Ms. Carroll, a dedicated naval officer and businesswoman, did anything wrong.

All press reports indicate she cooperated in the investigation without being targeted. Simply, Ms. Carroll and her husband's public relations business in Jacksonville did work for Allied Veterans. While hindsight indicates they may have made a bad choice in endorsement, it is far from a claim that she is a bad person.

We don't yet know all the facts, but we do know she was not among the 60 people arrested after what appears to be a lengthy investigation. Why then did she so suddenly resign? I suspect based on her military training and experience, she chose to end possible political embarrassment for her party. When the smoke clears, I believe she will come back stronger than ever. My bet is she will prove to be a saint.

<p><b>An army of hunters</b></p><p>A blogger recently added up the deer license sales in just a handful of states. He arrived at a striking conclusion: there were more than 600,000 hunters this season in the state of Wisconsin. Allow me to restate that number — over the last several months, Wisconsin's hunters became the eighth largest army in the world!</p><p>They had more men under arms than in Iran. More than France and Germany combined. These men deployed to the woods of a single American state, Wisconsin, to hunt with firearms. No one was killed.</p><p>The number of Wisconsin hunters pales in comparison to the 750,000 who hunted in the woods of Pennsylvania, and Michigan's 700,000 hunters all of have now returned home safely.</p><p>Toss in a quarter million hunters in West Virginia and it literally establishes the fact that the hunters of those four states alone would comprise the largest army in the world. Add in the total number of hunters in the other 46 states, it's millions more.</p><p>The point, you ask? America will forever be safe from foreign invasion with that kind of homegrown firepower. Hunting is not just a way to fill up the freezer, it's truly a matter of national security. Therein lies the reason as to why all enemies, foreign and domestic, want to see us disarmed. Food for thought when next we consider gun control. Overall it's true, so if we disregard some assumptions that hunters don't possess the same skills as soldiers, the question would still remain, what army of 2 million would want to face 30 million, 40 million or even 50 million armed citizens?</p><p>Don't let the government take control of our arms.</p><p><i>Harold Rider</p><p>Ocala</i></p><p><b>Deluca's big heart</b></p><p>In reading some of the negative comments on Ocala.com about the generous gift Frank DeLuca made to the YMCA, I felt that I needed to respond.</p><p>Frank DeLuca is one of the most generous people in our community. He is a very successful businessman who has a huge heart for Ocala/Marion County. As the executive director of the Munroe Foundation, I can attest that Frank not only gives of his resources, he also gives of his time. He is an unselfish philanthropist who doesn't ask for anything in return.</p><p>In any capital campaign, large signature gifts warrant a naming opportunity. That gift opportunity is to honor those who give generously, but also to encourage others to give. What a wonderful place Marion County would be if all who have the resources would give from the heart like Frank DeLuca.</p><p>Thank you, Frank, for making a difference.</p><p><i>Beth McCall</p><p>Executive Director</p><p>Munroe Regional Medical Center Foundation</p><p>Ocala</i></p><p><b>Commission questions</b></p><p>Once again it was great to watch five Republicans in action Tuesday morning at the County Commission meeting.</p><p>This may be a very naive question, but if the Dunn contract is so very productive at winning dollars for local businesses, then why can't these same businesses, through their own organizations, pay for it? Wouldn't there be fewer county dollars and staff involved? Isn't that a proper goal for county government?</p><p>With regard to the county's concerns for public safety, how is it that a military special ops force can conduct operations in or over Marion County without any county authorities' awareness or permission? Safety?</p><p>It was nice to see the commission firmly in control of the 489 LLC contract. We noticed the developer's attorney used the word "probably" more than once in his views on the subject. Should the county enter in to such squishy, free-form contracts with so much taxpayer money at stake?</p><p>We would like to have asked these questions at the meeting, but maybe you can address them by email?</p><p><i>Bryan Demkowicz</p><p>Ocala</i></p><p><b>Saint or sinner?</b></p><p>As Floridians, we have witnessed Jennifer Carroll resign as lieutenant governor under a cloud of scandal and suspicion. Is she saint or sinner?</p><p>It has been reported that Allied Veterans, recognized by the IRS as a tax-exempt veterans' organization, and its related entities operated more than 40 Internet cafes in Florida. While holding itself as a charity aiding veterans, $290 million was collected over six years with only $6 million actually going to veterans groups. The bulk of the donations feathered the nests of the various owners.</p><p>Having conducted numerous investigations in more than 20-plus years in law enforcement and prosecuting and defending persons in more than 20-plus years as an attorney, please allow me to make an observation. While it is clear the owners who ran this so-called charitable enterprise were arrogant and greedy, members of the Legislature admit they should have checked and closed loopholes in what they believed was a charitable cause. It is not clear that Ms. Carroll, a dedicated naval officer and businesswoman, did anything wrong.</p><p>All press reports indicate she cooperated in the investigation without being targeted. Simply, Ms. Carroll and her husband's public relations business in Jacksonville did work for Allied Veterans. While hindsight indicates they may have made a bad choice in endorsement, it is far from a claim that she is a bad person.</p><p>We don't yet know all the facts, but we do know she was not among the 60 people arrested after what appears to be a lengthy investigation. Why then did she so suddenly resign? I suspect based on her military training and experience, she chose to end possible political embarrassment for her party. When the smoke clears, I believe she will come back stronger than ever. My bet is she will prove to be a saint.</p><p><I>Stephen D. Schlapak</p><p>The Villages</i></p>